Mysterious Revival: Starting by Controlling the Person-Hiding Ghost, Part 32

Even so, his face continued to grow paler, as though he would die the very next moment.

"Urgh."

After a bout of agonized struggling, He Tianxiong suddenly slumped over the table and vomited violently.

A great pool of blackish-red, rotted vomit splattered across the table, a nauseating sight.

Notably, the revolting vomit continued to wriggle after he spat it out, like a mass of twisted flesh and blood.

Chapter 49: The Messengers Appear Again

"I feel much better now."

He Tianxiong stood up as he spoke, taking off his suit jacket and casually tossing it aside.

After vomiting up that mass of flesh and blood, he seemed to be in much better condition. The perverse, capricious air about him had disappeared.

Jiang Li glanced at him and said in a low voice:

"Two vicious ghosts of considerable terror, one attacking and the other defending. They're indeed quite an unusual combination, but they're no use against me."

"So did you invite me here for a meal, or were you looking for a fight?"

As he spoke, Jiang Li narrowed his eyes, and an inconspicuous patch of shadow spread across the dining table to He Tianxiong's side.

He Tianxiong smiled, casually set the table and chairs he had disturbed back in place, then sat down calmly and said:

"It was just a little test. After all, you're different from those other ghost tamers who've only just controlled one ghost. I wanted to see just how strong a ghost tamer capable of resolving an S-class supernatural incident really was, but I didn't expect you to be the one weighing me up instead."

"Still, a person succeeds in life through constant setbacks, so I ought to thank you for that breath you blew at me just now."

Hearing this, Jiang Li replied bluntly:

"Being weighed up only works if you can be sure you won't die. If I'd continued attacking, I'm afraid you wouldn't have stood much chance of surviving."

"So if that's how you intend to recruit people, you should buy yourself a coffin in advance, just in case."

He Tianxiong said nothing at first and began tearing at the white shirt he wore.

Soon, large patches of rotting, stinking skin on his chest were exposed. Even the individual blackened bones beneath were visible, with countless tiny gold nails hammered into them.

Jiang Li noticed that the rotting, blackened skin had spread across most of his body, but the areas around both shoulders alone were largely unaffected, retaining mostly normal skin.

At this point, He Tianxiong spoke with a confident smile, though a certain pain was suppressed beneath it.

"My current condition is very unusual. Almost no one can kill me, and not even a real vicious ghost can kill me in one go. Of course, there's a price to pay. Once you join the Friend Circle too, you'll understand."

"Of course, there's no doubt that you're fully qualified to join the Friend Circle. Relax. It's time to enjoy ourselves."

Looking at the great patches of rotting flesh and blood on his body, Jiang Li fell into thought.

After that farce, He Tianxiong seemed as enthusiastic as ever. He called a waiter to clean up the mess and had another tableful of the same dishes served.

"Even if I can't taste much, I'm still more than happy to eat these exquisite foods. After all, this is the flavor of a normal person's life."

As He Tianxiong spoke, he sat at the table and dug in, even grabbing a lamb chop with his bare hands and gnawing on it.

Jiang Li curled his lip and sat silently to one side, watching him eat.

Apparently finding it dull to eat alone, He Tianxiong pushed a dish in front of Jiang Li and said indistinctly:

"Won't you have some? It's not poisoned. Even if you don't like the sight of me, you shouldn't take it out on the food. I think that's very stupid. Sometimes people have to eat with those they least want to see."

"That's just what you think," Jiang Li said. "Most ghost tamers probably rarely even get a chance to eat with the people they want to see, so why put themselves through eating with someone they hate?"

Hearing this, He Tianxiong, who was chewing, froze for a moment. Then he swallowed his food and asked:

"What if circumstances forced you to? Suppose one day a powerful person forced you to be his dog. All you had to do was lower your head obediently, and you'd have wealth and glory, with only one person above you and ten thousand beneath you. Would you still stand by what you just said?"

"What do you think?"

Jiang Li pointed at the ghost on his shoulder as he spoke.

"I chose to become a ghost tamer precisely because I intended to stand by my convictions. And now I've chosen to join the Friend Circle so I can continue to have enough power to stand by them."

Hearing this, He Tianxiong burst out laughing, then wiped his mouth and said:

"You want to be a powerhouse with both strength and ambition? As it happens, I have the same intention."

"Then I have a plan. Why don't you forget about joining the Friend Circle and work directly for me instead? Whatever benefits the Friend Circle can give you, I, He Tianxiong, can give you too."

"You and I are both ghost tamers who've controlled two vicious ghosts. If two powerhouses like us join forces, what supernatural incident under heaven could we not handle? I'll eat the delicacies, and you'll savor the spices."

The words sounded childish and corny. Probably no ghost tamer would believe such nonsense.

Jiang Li paid no attention to what he said. Instead, he went to the window and looked outside.

The private room they were in was on the third floor of the Cloud Summit Club, with a broad view of most of the scenery outside.

The drizzling rain had stopped at some point, and the sky was growing darker, gradually swallowing the distant mountains in darkness.

Several luxury cars were parked outside the club.

But what caught Jiang Li's attention was a black sedan parked at the entrance. It was the exact same model as the one Liu Qingqing and the others had ridden in during the day, and he couldn't help growing suspicious.

Could Liu Qingqing and the others have come here too?

Jiang Li wasn't sure.

After all, however luxurious this place was, it was still just somewhere to eat. Lavish restaurants were everywhere in Dayi City. Surely it couldn't be such a coincidence that he would run into Liu Qingqing's group over a meal?

Yet that was exactly what happened.

The car doors opened, and two men and a woman got out.

The woman wore a qipao and had a graceful figure. It was Liu Qingqing herself.

She and her two companions soon entered the Cloud Summit Club without being stopped.

A faint sense of foreboding rose in Jiang Li.

The meaning behind the Post Office's messengers coming here together for a group outing could not have been clearer.

Some unknown supernatural incident was about to erupt.

As though sensing Jiang Li's confusion, He Tianxiong spoke:

"Besides you, I also invited some caving enthusiasts. We're planning to explore a cave a little later. That's why I specifically asked you to come to Dayi City this time."

"Caving? If it's just your personal hobby, why drag me along?" Jiang Li said, pulling the curtains shut. "Besides, I'm afraid not all the people you invited are genuine caving enthusiasts."

He Tianxiong stood up and replied.

"Naturally, I don't have that much time on my hands. At least, I'm not so idle that I'd crawl into a cave to fool around. Some time ago, I learned from a ghost tamer that a dormant vicious ghost was hidden in a natural cave in Dayi City."

"He and his companions couldn't find a way to bring it out, so they returned empty-handed. He himself was exposed by someone who leaked the secret, and in the end he died at my hands."

"But that dormant vicious ghost should indeed be real. If we can get it out, it'll definitely be a completely priceless treasure. Perhaps I could even use it to escape Fang Shiming's control..."

Chapter 50: The Caving Participants

"A dormant vicious ghost?"

Jiang Li rubbed his chin and fell into thought.

No wonder the Ghost Post Office's messengers had gathered here too. They were all heading for the same objective.

If there really was a vicious ghost that had fallen dormant or even shut down, its price would certainly be considerable. If its terror level were any higher, its value would be immeasurable.

But... was the information really reliable?

If there really was a ghost in the cave, but it wasn't dormant, wouldn't they be delivering themselves right to its door and courting death?

He Tianxiong seemed to have seen through Jiang Li's concerns again, and he couldn't help speaking up once more:

"As the old saying goes, the bold eat until they burst, while the timid starve. If you're unwilling to try when such a good opportunity is right in front of you, wouldn't you be even less capable of dealing with real trouble in the future?"

"The opportunity is indeed good, but some of the people you invited are very unstable, calamity stars who bring misfortune," Jiang Li said with a frown. "But you're right. If you don't seize and try a good opportunity when it's right in front of you, you'll never accomplish anything in the end."

"A life is at stake in everything. If you don't gamble with it, I'm afraid all you can do is become a dog."

Hearing this, He Tianxiong nodded in satisfaction.

"That's right. You're worthy of being a man I, He Tianxiong, acknowledge. Let's go downstairs and meet those enthusiasts now. They're all people I casually recruited online, so it's normal for there to be a mix of dragons and fish. Don't be too surprised when you see them."

Jiang Li nodded and walked out of the private room with He Tianxiong, intending to go downstairs and make contact with the messengers.

His preliminary guess was that they should all currently be second-floor messengers, and the supernatural incidents they might encounter while delivering letters shouldn't be too difficult.

Of course, that assumed they were delivering ordinary yellow envelopes. If it was a red envelope, that was another matter entirely.

Red symbolized nine deaths and one chance of survival. The supernatural incidents and vicious ghosts encountered were all extremely terrifying, which was quite bad for messengers.

Hopefully they didn't have a red envelope this time, or the situation ahead would become quite complicated.

With those thoughts in mind, Jiang Li followed He Tianxiong to the banquet hall on the club's first floor.

Seven people had already gathered there, seated at two tables.

Aside from Liu Qingqing and the other two Ghost Post Office messengers, four strangely dressed individuals sat at the other table.

One man and one woman among them wore matching brown coveralls and headlamps, looking like experienced cave explorers.

The other two, however, looked very peculiar. One was a middle-aged man wearing glasses and a yellow Daoist robe that reached his calves. He was tearing at a pork rib in his bowl without regard for appearances.

The other was an old man wearing a kasaya covered in patches, leisurely chewing the vegetarian food in his bowl.

At the sight, Jiang Li couldn't help raising an eyebrow.

The first two did indeed look like outdoor enthusiasts, but what was with the Daoist priest and the monk? They weren't going to catch jiangshi or deliver departed souls.

"Ahem."

Seeing that the atmosphere seemed a little awkward, He Tianxiong cleared his throat, walked into the middle of the group, and spoke:

"Everyone's here, right? Allow me to briefly introduce myself. I'm the forum member whose online name is 'I Have a Plan,' and I'm the organizer of this outing."

"I assume there's no need for me to go over the plan at length. As long as we find that thing in the cave, everyone here will receive two million in cash. I'll give five million to the first person to find it."

Hearing this, the Daoist priest and the monk both stopped using their chopsticks, their eyes gleaming with gold.

"Rest assured, Mr. He. I, Daoist Priest Simu, will certainly find the jiangshi in that cave, capture and imprison it so it can never harm anyone again. That five million is mine."

"Amitabha. I, this old monk Huijue, did not come in pursuit of money. My sole aim is to eliminate demons and bring peace to the people of this world. Whatever demons or monsters are hiding in the cave, I will risk my life to deliver them."

"Hehe, then I'm immensely grateful to you both, masters," He Tianxiong said with a smile. "Once it's done, I, He Tianxiong, will surely visit to thank you, bringing a few modest gifts to your Daoist temple and monastery."

Chen Mo and Shen Sheng, who were beside him wearing caving gear, were momentarily stunned. Then Chen Mo said with a strange look:

"What's all this nonsense about jiangshi and demons? Didn't we agree that this caving trip was to recover the bodies of the people who died there before? Why have you brought two old charlatans along? If this is how it's going to be, I'm out."

With that, Chen Mo pulled his girlfriend to her feet, looking ready to leave at once.

Everyone present was stunned, then stared at Chen Mo and Shen Sheng.

If they lost these two people with caving experience, the rest of them probably wouldn't know how to explore the cave even if they found it.

Specialized work had to be left to specialists. Those two couldn't leave.

Just as Chen Mo and Shen Sheng picked up their bags to leave, He Tianxiong hurriedly stepped in front of them and tried to dissuade them with kind words:

"You two, I know you may be unhappy with me and think I brought people I shouldn't have, but we agreed beforehand that I'd provide the money and you'd lead the group. Surely you can't just drop the load and walk away at the crucial moment?"

Chen Mo had intended to politely decline and was just about to explain that the various details surrounding this job seemed too strange, and that he wasn't confident about continuing the exploration.